


Aboard the Basilisk

by IdrisEleven



Category: Da Vinci's Demons
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-19
Updated: 2016-08-19
Packaged: 2018-08-09 17:04:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7810126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IdrisEleven/pseuds/IdrisEleven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A season 2 AU, where Leo rescued Zoroaster and Lucrezia after they were thrown overboard. Now the three of them have reboarded the Basilisk, currently captained by Count Riario. The quest for the Book of Leaves is going to take them across the Atlantic, but first they have to sort out their relationships so they don't kill each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Aboard the Basilisk

**Author's Note:**

> A ficlet, based on a Tumblr prompt:
> 
> "Person A and B are roommates and person A doesn't bother to use pajamas so person B is in a dilemma AU."

On The Basilisk, the first night out from Pisa.

Riario looked down his nose at his–temporary!–cabin mate. “Would it kill you to put on something? It’s bad enough I have to share quarters with you, I would prefer not to know everything about you.”

Zo stood in the middle of the room and ruffled his own hair. Of course this prig was going to be difficult. He had known that this wasn’t going to work. He’d told Leo that they couldn’t share a room without killing each other. Leo had just laughed.

“Well, I trust you, Zo, not to kill our bargaining chip. If I leave him with Lucrezia, he really will kill her. She’s much safer with me. And I know you can take care of yourself.” With a wink and a devilish grin, Leo had tugged the Donati woman into the other cabin, and closed the door. Decisively. Leaving Zo the option of sleeping outdoors in the rain, or in the same room with Riario.

How do you pick the lesser of two evils when they are equally terrible?

And now His Lordship was going to be squeamish about Zo’s lack of nightwear? Leo would never have complained. In fact, Zo was certain that Leo would have appreciated the view.

“Oi! Not my fault I don’t have a change of costume, your lordship. Something about having been thrown overboard rather interfered with the arrival of my luggage.”

Riario rolled his eyes. “It would have been more convenient if you had drowned.” He turned away, determined not to notice how Zo stood easily, comfortable in his nudity. There was an ancient marble statue, recently unearthed in Rome and brought to the Holy Father’s attention, that looked like that. A monumental male nude, one leg slightly in front of the other, the muscles taut and defined, the proportions the same… .

It would be a very long voyage if he couldn’t control his thoughts, Riario realized. He ruthlessly curbed that particular comparison.

“Yeah, well, I would have to disagree with you there. And Leo doesn’t look kindly on people murdering his friends, so I guess you are stuck with me. That is, if you want Leo’s help to find the Book of Leaves.” Actually, Zo was fairly certain that Leo was going to keep searching for the damn Book no matter what. All Riario would have to do would be to follow along behind. But any insurance was better than none.

Which still left the problem of the bed. THE bed. As in, there was only one. Riario sighed, pulled the rough blanket off the thin mattress, and threw it at the other man. “You can wrap up in this. I don’t care to become any more intimately acquainted with you than I have to be.” He quickly turned his back and took off his boots. Even without this impossible imposition, he would probably have slept in his clothes anyway. Given the pitch and roll of the ship, he was going to want as many layers as possible between himself and that…that…that… .

Riario wrapped his arms around his torso, making himself as small as he could, and began planning how he was going to require that they sleep in shifts, starting as soon as possible.


End file.
